Introduction
Culture is regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, values systems, traditions and beliefs. Cultures differ basically with respect to their ecological and socio-economic conditions. For example the living conditions of hunters and gatherers are basically different from those of herdsmen and farmers.
Accordingly, people in pastoral cultures were frequently described to be more aggressive than people from farming cultures and hence due to these differences, angers occur. Some cultures see others to be inferior and them to be the dominant group and hence as a result, try to discriminate the minority group. Treating people with respect makes your world a nicer place to live in, whether it’s at home, at school or out in your community and its easy, all you have to do is treat people the way you like to have them treat you.
Don’t insult people or make fun of them, listen to others when they speak, value other people’s opinions, be considerate of people’s likes and dislikes, don’t mock or tease people, don’t talk about people behind their backs, be sensitive to other people’s feelings. We live in a diverse nation made up of many different cultures, languages, races and backgrounds. That kind of variety can make all our lives a lot more fun and interesting, but only if we get along with each other and to do that we have to respect each other. We can respect people who are different from us by trying to learn something from the other person, never stereotype people, and show interest and appreciation for other people’s cultures and backgrounds. (Braithwaite, 1974)
Lack of information about people whom we see as different from ourselves sets the stage for hatrade.hate is also based on the thinking or assuming something that is untrue fear, hostility and prejudice during times of war and world uncertainty’s war in the middle east or in any part of the world raises levels of fear and anxiety in us all. During times of crisis, our fears are hightened, we may feel a sense of helplessness and there is the natural tendency to want to find something or someone to blame.
Being the target of hate in the recent vicious attacks on our nation has been devastating and has resulted in tremendous sadness, grief and fear. During such a time, it is not always humanly possible to respond to hate in any way but to feel the hurt, absorb the hate and feel anger towards the perpetrators of the attacks. However as adults we need to be aware of and stand up to physical and emotional hate and empower our children to do the same. (Braithwaite, 1974)
Understanding discrimination
Discrimination or the unfavorable treatment on others bad on prejudice, occurs more frequently during times of war and uncertainity. Discrimination raises our levels of fear. It can destruct us from taking actions that ultimately that lead to healing and resolutuin. It can also have serious legal consequences for those who participate in it. There are several steps to take to confront anger against others. Avoid attributing the acts of violence or terroralism of a few individuals to an entire race, religion or group of people, avoid listening to or spreading rumors, learn more about other people races, religions and cultures.
Many acts of discrimination are as a result of lack of understanding or knowledge of different cultures. Accurate information about people of other races, religion, political systems and cultures will help you better understand today’s better changing world. Try to see people as individuals and not just as members of cultural, racial or other group. Avoid stereotypes, which are grossly exaggerated assumptions about a group. Stereotypes can cause mistrust and misunderstandings.
Think about your own racial or ethnic background and some of the negative and incorrect stereotypes others may have of your group. Consider the many ways you are different from others who share the same racial, religios, or cultural group identity. Explain your own attitude and feelings about people from other cultures, races and religions. Do you react to people of different religions, cultures and background with openness, respect and an interest in learning about them? (Markus, and Kitayama, 1994):
Understanding and coping with feelings of anger
Many people respond to acts of war or terrorism with anger and other strong feelings. They feel that anger towards individualism or groups they belief to be responsible for the violence. Feelings of anger are normal. What is important is to cope with your anger in a healthy way. Remember that, it is okay to behave with anger or resentment against an individual or group. You may need to talk about your feelings with a trusted friend, family member or counselor.
Expressing your anger towards others verbally or physically is never okay. It is never okay to vent your anger towards an individual or a group by mail, over the telephone, or on the Internet. Hate crimes, including those committed in Internet chat rooms or on web sites, are illegal. If you have trouble accommodating your anger, seek help. Your human resources department, employee assistance program or employee resource program can provide you with resources and support. If you are not sure how to contact the EAP or employee resource program, find out how to do so from your manager. Channel your anger in to efforts to help others.
Write letters make donations or otherwise become involved with relief efforts. Anger may be caused by feelings of helplessness and frustration. Finding things in your life that you do have control over can be very helpful. One way to take control is to help others. If you are a parent, remember that your child is learning powerful lessons from you about how to react in times of war and world uncertainty’s lesson you want to teach your children is the distinction about feeling hungry and acting on your anger. Acting on your anger is not a lesson you want to teach. Instead, help your child understand that its normal to feel angry and to want to find someone to blame, but focusing efforts on helping others is more important. (Ohbuchi, Fukushima and tedeschi, 1999)
See each person as an individual. Do not attribute the actions or opinions of a few people to an entire race, religion or group of people that is stereotyping. Think about all of the people who share your race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation, and how much diversity there is in their feelings, opinions and actions. Teach more about people other cultures, religions and ideologies. Make a point to walk with people you know who are different from you.
Identify and challenge your own biases. Never spread rumors or participate in conversations that perpetuate stereotypes and challenge acts of discrimination. Teach tolerance and acceptance of differences to children. Children learn attitudes, values and behaviors at home, in their neighborhood, in school and through the media, be aware of what you say and do in front of children. Call attention to prejudice in things they or others may say or do. Respect opinions that are different from your owned all approach issues with our own set of values and experiences guiding our views. Americas are proud of this diversity and share a number of important beliefs, in democracy, in freedom of speech, and in the right to worship as they choose. (Ohbuchi, Fukushima and tedeschi, 1999)
Help children with their feelings of anger
Provide an environment that will allow children to freely express their feelings and acknowledge any pain and anger. Allowing your child to keep a journal, draw, and talk out their emotions and positive outlets for feelings of anger. By providing a means by which to channel feelings in to positive actions is another tool to help your child. (Komadt, 2002)
What to do if you experience discrimination
If you, a family member or someone you know experiences discrimination or harassment, seek support.harrasment can include, spoken comments, written comments or behavior that is meant to annoy, disturb or frighten another person. Acts of hostility and discrimination can threaten your feelings of safety and make you feel vulnerable and alone. If you receive hate mail, hate phone calls, or threats outside your work, file a report with the police immediately.
Ask that the incident be treated as a hate crime. A hate crime is a violent act against a person, person’s property, or organizations because of the group identities with or belongs to. Hate mails and threats can be very frightening and may cause you to want to avoid going to work or other public places. Seek support from family, friends and your EAP. (Komadt, 2002)
Supporting one another
Intervene when public discussions or individual actions target a person or minority group. Educate and try to reason with people who are stereotyping or blaming people unfairly. Ask people to recognize the pressures and tensions that are present because of world uncertainity, terrorism and war. Be kind to others; find channels for acts of charity or helping. Be sensitive to the needs and issues of people who may be directly affected by the war effort. Make a special effort to express interest and offer support. (Komadt, 2002)
Set a good example
Children learn from observing your behaviour. Be aware of the impact of your own biases and feelings of anger of your child. Be prepared to respond to purposeful acts of bias because children will carefully observe how you intervene when someone is the target of hate-based behaviour.be vocal in opposing racist views and practices. Use appropriate labels and words when describing what occurred and the individuals involved. (Komadt, 2002)
Conclusion
Lack of information about people whom we see as different from ourselves sets the stage for hatrade.hate is also based on the thinking or assuming something that is untrue fear, hostility and prejudice during times of war and world uncertainty’s war in the middle east or in any part of the world raises levels of fear and anxiety in us all. During times of crisis, our fears are hightened, we may feel a sense of helplessness and there is the natural tendency to want to find something or someone to blame
Being the target of hate in the recent vicious attacks on our nation has been devastating and has resulted in tremendous sadness, grief and fear and hence it’s important to see each person as an individual. Do not attribute the actions or opinions of a few people to an entire race, religion or group of people that is stereotyping. Think about all of the people who share your race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation, and how much diversity there is in their feelings, opinions and actions.
Learn more about people other cultures, religions and ideologies. Make a point to walk with people you know who are different from you. Identify and challenge your own biases. Never spread rumors or participate in conversations that perpetuate stereotypes and challenge acts of discrimination. Teach tolerance and acceptance of differences to children. Children learn attitudes, values and behaviors at home, in their neighborhood, in school and through the media, are aware of what you say and do in front of children.
Reference
Braithwaite, E (1974). Contradictory omens; Cultural diversity and integration in the Caribbean; Kingston: Savacou Publications.
Markus, H and Kitayama, S. (1994). The cultural construction of self and emotion; Pp 89-130.Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Ohbuchi, K, Fukushima o and Tedeschi, J. (1999): Cultural values in conflict management: Goal orientation, goal attainment, and tactical decision. Journal of cross-cultural psychology.
Komadt, H (2002). Biology, culture and childrearing; The development of social motives; Pp 191-211.Cambridge, England: Cambridge university press.